I always thought having eye contact in a conversation meant you were willing to listen. So, I would always stare into people's eyes while listening to them and they usually avoid looking at me or talk about everything they know on the subject. I still do this, mostly for their reactions and because I want to.

I'm odd when it comes to eye contact,
I may be facing my friend whose directly in front of me, and looking right at her when in actuality I'm talking to my friend on the right.
Or I may be facing the person I'm talking to but I'll end up looking somewhere completely awkward like the ground, behind their shoulder, above their head etc.
It's not something I do on purpose it's simply something I don't notice I'm doing.
When I am looking them in the eyes it's awkward for us both because I don't really blink very much..
My friends are all used to it though so it's no problem, but others probably think I'm strange ;__;

I'm odd when it comes to eye contact,
I may be facing my friend whose directly in front of me, and looking right at her when in actuality I'm talking to my friend on the right.
Or I may be facing the person I'm talking to but I'll end up looking somewhere completely awkward like the ground, behind their shoulder, above their head etc.
It's not something I do on purpose it's simply something I don't notice I'm doing.
When I am looking them in the eyes it's awkward for us both because I don't really blink very much..
My friends are all used to it though so it's no problem, but others probably think I'm strange ;__;

If you don't blink very much does that mean you're great at staring contests? Alright let's have a contest - I'll stare at my screen and you can stare at yours until something happens. Heh..

I'm odd when it comes to eye contact,
I may be facing my friend whose directly in front of me, and looking right at her when in actuality I'm talking to my friend on the right.
Or I may be facing the person I'm talking to but I'll end up looking somewhere completely awkward like the ground, behind their shoulder, above their head etc.
It's not something I do on purpose it's simply something I don't notice I'm doing.
When I am looking them in the eyes it's awkward for us both because I don't really blink very much..
My friends are all used to it though so it's no problem, but others probably think I'm strange ;__;

If you don't blink very much does that mean you're great at staring contests? Alright let's have a contest - I'll stare at my screen and you can stare at yours until something happens. Heh..

Unfortunately not, when I concentrate and I'm aware that I'm trying to keep my eyes open they become sore.
It's only when I'm not concentrating, which is even worse because I probably look like a creep who stares at people or walls OTL

Eye contact isnt a issue for me.
I am also one of those that can just stare at someone for a long time until the other person is starting to get nervous :D
It's fun actually
And i also think that keeping eye contact when speaking to another person is somewhat a sign of respect, like how alot of boys tend to look a womens breast when they are talking to them. I can understand it, but it is not very nice.

I'm odd when it comes to eye contact,
I may be facing my friend whose directly in front of me, and looking right at her when in actuality I'm talking to my friend on the right.
Or I may be facing the person I'm talking to but I'll end up looking somewhere completely awkward like the ground, behind their shoulder, above their head etc.
It's not something I do on purpose it's simply something I don't notice I'm doing.
When I am looking them in the eyes it's awkward for us both because I don't really blink very much..
My friends are all used to it though so it's no problem, but others probably think I'm strange ;__;

If you don't blink very much does that mean you're great at staring contests? Alright let's have a contest - I'll stare at my screen and you can stare at yours until something happens. Heh..

Unfortunately not, when I concentrate and I'm aware that I'm trying to keep my eyes open they become sore.
It's only when I'm not concentrating, which is even worse because I probably look like a creep who stares at people or walls OTL

I only dont use eye contact when talking to boys... its rare for me to talk to boys without being shy... >////<
i used to think f those awkward times they talk to me i dont even look at them...i just look on the ground..
now they think of me as a shy frail girl and some thinks it cute... lol

I haven't really noticed how much eye contact I make with a person, not really something I've thought about since you brought it up but thank you for posting it actually.
Seems to me with the way that you've put the whole eye contact thing, you might have got something along the lines of Tatsuhiro Satou or Ikari Shinji syndrome. Which in my own opinion are two highly relatable and realistic characters.

I haven't really noticed how much eye contact I make with a person, not really something I've thought about since you brought it up but thank you for posting it actually.
Seems to me with the way that you've put the whole eye contact thing, you might have got something along the lines of Tatsuhiro Satou or Ikari Shinji syndrome. Which in my own opinion are two highly relatable and realistic characters.

I've always been a really timid and introverted person, so direct eye contact has always been a big problem for me (even when I'm talking to someone I've known all my life and am comfortable around, like my family and friends). I tend to look a person in the eyes only for a split second at a time and end up looking around at everything else. It causes me to lose focus easily though. Recently, since I graduated from college and had to go through job interviews, I've had to practice maintaining eye contact. I've gotten pretty good at it over the last year or two and I'm opening up a lot, but it's still really difficult.

Honestly, I'm really shy and socially awkward, but maintaining eye contact is something I'm fine with. If I'm uncomfortable for whatever reason, I just look slightly above or below the eyes for a couple of seconds.

If you're worried about people judging you, keep in mind that you're kinda giving them a reason to by avoiding eye contact. Talking to someone who wont meet your eyes is a little hurtful, because it seems like they aren't giving you their focus, and listening to someone who wont make eye contact makes whatever they're saying seem less sincere. Depending on the direction you're looking instead, you can cause some awkward misunderstandings too; for example, looking down at the ground when talking to a woman can easily be mistaken for looking down her shirt.

Honestly, I'm really shy and socially awkward, but maintaining eye contact is something I'm fine with. If I'm uncomfortable for whatever reason, I just look slightly above or below the eyes for a couple of seconds.

If you're worried about people judging you, keep in mind that you're kinda giving them a reason to by avoiding eye contact. Talking to someone who wont meet your eyes is a little hurtful, because it seems like they aren't giving you their focus, and listening to someone who wont make eye contact makes whatever they're saying seem less sincere. Depending on the direction you're looking instead, you can cause some awkward misunderstandings too; for example, looking down at the ground when talking to a woman can easily be mistaken for looking down her shirt.

I don't completely avoid it, actually. I sorta do what TomDent (the poster above you) does and make brief eye contact then shift my attention to the left or right briefly, going back and forth. Also, I've had a couple of those "awkward misunderstandings" in the past. That's actually the reason I look to the left or right instead of just looking down.